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Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider
, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER — Eddie Lack is expected to emerge this season as Roberto Luongo’s backup on the Vancouver Canucks, but he is already Bobby Lou’s equal on Twitter. Or maybe he’s even better.

Lack is a bit of a Twitter addict. He tweets about his housework, his selection of TV shows, his fantasy football league and his Swedish heritage. It’s all in good humour, he explained Tuesday, and it’s difficult to disagree. It’s also difficult to suppress a smile if you follow him.

“I’ve been on Twitter for about a year now and it gives me a chance to interact with the fans and have some fun,” Lack said. “Sometimes I might have a little too much fun.”

Lack doesn’t use an alias so there is no mystery in finding him @eddielack. On July 9, he tweeted: Touched down in Van city and the old friend ‘yetlag’ is sneaking up one me. #swedishjetlag

On July 15, he wrote: Anyone else watching the Bachelorette? Duuh, I know u all are :)

Then on July 31: I cooked, cleaned the kitchen, walked the dog and stretched my big stork legs. They should make a TV show about me. Manly Swedish housewives.

He even reached out to Luongo (@strombone1): Hey, big boy, u wanna be in my fantasy football league? One last spot!

“No, he didn’t take it,” Lack chuckled after a workout at UBC. “He was too busy with his own fantasy leagues. We have fun with each other. He’s a real entertainer on Twitter. I think he is funnier than me. He kind of takes the prize, for sure.”

Lack, 25, seems to be a throwback to the day when goalies were goofy and flaky and free-spirited. His smile is infectious. Assuming he wins the backup job ahead of fellow Swede Joacim Eriksson, Lack seems destined to become an immediate fan favourite.

“I’m just trying to have fun in life and make other people laugh,” he said. “I do enjoy being out there. I think I get it from my dad. He likes to talk a lot. I feel like there are two types of goalies: the goalie who just keeps to himself and the goalie who is a little bit louder. I think, for sure, I’m the second type.”

Lack’s ability to stop the puck will speak loudest, however. He’s been in the Canucks organization for three years, all of them in the American League. His 2012-13 season was cut short after just 13 games with a hip issue that eventually required surgery in late January.

He is on a one-way contract for the 2013-14 campaign at $850,000 – Eriksson is on a two-way – so it appears the backup job is his to lose. He figures he is more than prepared.

“Yeah, I do feel ready,” said the lanky Lack, who stands 6-5. “I feel there was a lot of negative that came with my injury and everything but I kind of feel there was a lot of positive, too. The last six months I had a chance to really work on stuff that I didn’t really have a chance to work on before. I feel stronger and better out there than I have ever felt.”

As for missing so much live fire last season, Lack doesn’t sense it has set him back.

“No, no, I’ve played hockey for 20 years and I missed about 30 games,” he responded. “I feel fresh and ready to go. I started skating at the beginning of July and I’ve been progressing steadily every day. We’re, like, two weeks away from training camp and I feel great.”

While Lack continues his workouts, he’s also doing heavy research for his fantasy football league. He has 20 people in it. The draft goes Sunday.

“I am busy scouting now and getting ready,” he said. “I would like to give myself the first pick, since it’s my league, but it’s actually a lottery. That’s too bad.”

And his first pick would be?

“Well, I kind of don’t want to give my opponents an advantage ...” he said. “But I would pick Drew Brees. I think he’s a good, steady QB.”

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